Keynote speeches on the topic of cessation of wars and world peace were followed by the signing of the peace agreement by religious leaders
On September 18, on the second day of the 2014 World Alliance of Religions’ Peace (WARP) Summit, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL, Chairman Man Hee Lee) hosted a conference on the topic of “The Alliance of Religions “ at the Grand Ballroom of 63 Convention Center located in Yeouido, Seoul. During the conference, speeches on the cessation of wars, religious conflicts, and world peace were delivered and the signing ceremony of the peace agreement was held.
As the keynote speaker, Mr. Man Hee Lee, the chairman of HWPL, came on to the platform and delivered a speech on the topic of “The Cessation of War and World Peace.” In his keynote speech, Mr. Lee appealed for religious leaders’ cooperation, saying, “Religion that should love all life is causing conflicts in which the lives of people are taken away, putting the world at risk of destruction. The only way to protect the world from destruction is for the religious leaders to unite as one.” Also, he emphasized that the cessation of wars stipulated in international law is the basic step toward building world peace, and he made clear that resolving the fundamental problems of international and interreligious conflicts is the way to establish true peace and to promote justice.
Furthermore, Ms. Nam Hee Kim, the chairwoman of the International Women’s Peace Group, emphasized the significance of the peace agreement by saying in her speech, “This peace agreement may seem like just a piece of paper without any powers, but the agreement has tremendous power to bring about peace.”
Afterwards, religious leaders of the supreme authority representing 12 religions— Candomblé, Jainism, Shi’a Islam, Sunni Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholicism, Anglican Church, Sikhism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Baha’i Faith—signed the Unity of Religion Agreement. Since many wars in the world are fuelled by religious ideology, religious leaders had a productive time together to unite to put an end to religious conflicts together.
This signing ceremony was attended and supported by 15 former heads of state including Emil Constantinescu, the former President of Romania; Bertie Ahern, the former Prime Minister of Ireland; Stjepan Mesic, the former President of Croatia; Alexander Rutskoy, the former Vice President of Russia; Eduardo Duhalde, the former President of Argentina; and Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe, the former President of South Africa.
On the same day, speeches on the topic of “Religious Conflicts and Peace” were delivered by Haris Silajdzic, the former President of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Swami Chidanand Saraswati, the president of Parmarth Niketan Ashram; Ashin Nyanissara, the founder of Sitagu Buddha Vihara; Giani Gurbachan Singh, Jathedar of the Akal Takht; Tawakkol Karman, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2011; Martin De Jesus Barahona, Bishop of the Anglican Episcopal Church of El Salvador; Antonio J. Ledesma, Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro, Philippines; and Emil Constantinescu, the former President of Romania. During this session, each representative spoke about their views on religious conflicts and peace.
After the commemorative photographing and luncheon for VIP religious leaders, group sessions were held on various topics pertaining to the future direction for achieving the unity of religion, the efforts needed for an international law on the cessation of wars and world peace, and overcoming conflict and division.
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